Who We Are
by TimK84
Summary: A series of one-shots that shows how the characters in Harry Potter and the Swords of Fate have become who they are. PG-13 for language and violence. please R
1. Of Men and Magic

**Chapter One**

**Of Men and Magic**

Ken and Bill were sitting in the basement waiting for the rest of the brothers to come down.  It was one of their Fraternity's Brotherhoods, a night where the brothers talk about the fraternity and why they joined and important or painful moments in their lives.  It was all so they could be come closer friends and better brothers.  Ken and Bill were down in the basement getting the next thing that they would all do set up.  The basement was relatively well insulated, sound-wise, from the rest of the house.

That's why they never heard the shouts.

The only thing that they did hear was the door opening and closing and some odd thuds.  They just thought someone had come late.  They were busy working so they didn't think to remember that _everyone was already here_.

After five minutes of waiting, Ken lost his patience (which was never abundant to begin with) and went upstairs to see what was taking the others so long.  His shout was louder than any of the others had been.

**_"BILL!!!  Get the Fuck up here!"_**  Ken used profanity as much as the next person, but he almost never said anything in an urgent tone of voice unless it was important to him.  Bill took the steps by twos up to the third story, where Ken leaned heavily against the wall, shaking badly.  

Now there are certain things you should know about Bill and Ken.  

Bill was a relatively short (relative to Ken) guy with an explosive temper.  He defended his friends to the death and fought his enemies the same.  He was usually very light-hearted and would laugh with you, but he took life very seriously.  Not much could completely unnerve him.

Ken was a little leaner and a little taller and a lot calmer.  The only three things that got Ken as riled up as Bill were complete and total idiots, liars who lie to hurt people, and assholes.  When they coincided with each other, watch out because he could be just as explosive.  He was higher strung, and easier to spook, but only a little easier to completely unnerve. However while Bill enjoyed a good fight, Ken didn't like to fight anywhere near as much.

Bill took one look at the room and fell to his knees in shock.

Everyone in the room was dead.  

The brothers were laying about like they had been dolls thrown around like an angry child.  Tears streames down Kens face and Bill was too shocked to cry.

There was a glowing thing in the room, a skull with a snake in it, not something that either recognized.

A low laugh came from the room behind them and a man in a mask and black robes came out, pointing a stick at them.  He looked from one to the other and then started to talk.

"Stupid Muggles!  My Master will rule this world, your time is up. _Avada__ K-"_

At that moment Ken completely lost control of his temper.  He took one step and punched the murdering asshole right in the face of the mask.  He was rewarded with a nice crunching noise as the person's nose broke.  Ken followed up with a knee to the groin and then, with the person on the ground, just completely gave into his rage and beat him mercilessly.  Bill pulled Ken off, but not before the person was a bloody pulp. Ken massaged his pained knuckles as Bill broke the stick the person was holding.  A puff of greenish black smoke came from it and Bill threw it at the unconscious asshole.  They were wondering what they were going to tell the police when there was a knock at the door. They heard the door open and someone shouted.

"Is anyone there?"  

Ken didn't recognize the voice, so he deferred to Bill's judgment. Bill got out a weak. "Yea.  Up here."

Three people, two youngish men and an older gray-haired woman, came up the stairs.  They were wearing some odd clothing and two of them took out sticks similar to the one the other man had and they pointed them at Ken and Bill.  The third asked them what had happened, and they told him.

The young man looked in the room and stepped out, motioned for his teammates to lower their sticks and he took Ken and Bill downstairs.  They sat in the fraternity chapter room and he told them that it was magic that had killed their brothers.  Hard to believe at first, but with a few demonstrations (repairing a couch with a motion, turning a coffee table into a book and back, and then making coffee with a hand motion) they believed him.  

The young man, Tom, explained to them that since the University was all muggle (non-magical, which took another explanation) the followers of a Man who called himself Voldemort had chosen the place to be attacked.  They selected a large collective group at random to die.  These followers sounded like a cult to Bill and Ken, and they said so.  Tom nodded and told them that they would have to have their memory erased of this and would think that their brothers had been shot.  Ken looked at Tom.

"Tom, I don't have much here besides these guys.  And now they are all dead…"

His eyes darkened.

"I want revenge."

Bill, who for once totally agreed with Ken, just nodded.

Tom looked at them, shrugged and said ok.  He told the two that they would work with him on this project.  When one of Tom's partners objected; Tom put him is his place by asking him what _he _would want if this had happened to him.  Ken asked what they would be doing.

"Teaching." When the guys both stared at him he continued "You will both assist in the teaching of Muggle studies at the school where I will be employed in the fall.  I just have to arrange it."

Bill looked at Ken, then looked at Tom and asked "Where is this school?"  To which Tom replied.

"It is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is in Scotland."

Author's note

This is, as already explained, some back story for some of the characters in Harry Potter and the Swords of Fate.  This chapter covered the introduction of Ken and Bill to the Magical world and the Introduction of Thomas as an adult.  Chapter 2 will be up extremely soon.  (i.e. Today)  Please read and review.

TimK


	2. Wandless

**Chapter Two**

**Wandless**

It was Christmastime in America.  The Exters were sitting in the living room and enjoying the night.  Lee Exter was watching his son while Aryn Exter was getting Tom's bed ready.  Little Tom was in front of the couch, playing with his Christmas presents. His father took the utmost enjoyment from just watching him play.  Aryn came down the stairs and activated the child-safe wards on them.  She then kissed Tom on the cheek and he giggled, and she snuggled up to her husband on the sofa and asked.

"When do we put him to bed?"

"Soon, my dear, very soon." He waggled his eyebrows, something his wife always found very funny, and the both chuckled to themselves.  Then they heard something, the wards had been tripped, they were under attack!  Thoughts ran rampant through Lee's head.

_It can't be him, but he would send someone on Christmas, wouldn't he.  Just think of what he tried to do to the Longbottoms when they came over for thanksgiving with little Neville!_

Aryn took young Tom towards the steps, and Lee drew his wand, ready to fight.  He couldn't see where the Death Eater was so he looked out the window.  He then heard a noise and, turning around, he saw both his wife and son in a Death Eater's grasp.  They had almost made it to the stairs.

"Put the wand down and I'll let _her_ go."  Lee had no choice but to comply.  While he was a powerful wizard, he would not gamble with the lives of his wife and son.

The Death Eater shoved his wife away and put his son down.  Aryn moved to Lee's side, but the Death Eater had a full-body-bind on Tom.  He couldn't even cry.  The Death Eater began to chant, the words not making much sense to Lee until a wisp of memory made it clear to him.

The Death Eater was trying to reduce – to STEAL – Tom's power.

Lee acted before he thought, his rage acting as a fuel for his strength (which was considerable for a man of almost fifty).  Lee tackled him.  His tackle was low, but it didn't matter, the Death Eater was pushed back until his foot caught on the slight step that started the staircase.  The way he landed on the man made the bastard's entire knee shatter into pieces and the lower part of his leg was sent a direction it was never meant to go.  Aryn grabbed Tom, who looked at the man who hurt him.  Lee got up and walked towards his wife and son to make sure that they were allright.  The Death Eater somehoe rolled over and pulled a second wand out of his pocket.  They were dead, Lee's wand was across the room and Aryn had left hers upstairs.  Tom just looked at the Death Eater and said.  

"BAD.  NO!"  At that, a disarming spell _and_ a stunner flew from his hands.  The Death Eater fell over, unconscious.

In the aftermath, the man was sent to Hangleharrow, the most infamous American Wizarding Prison.

Obviously the curse that Lee interrupted showed no signs of having succeeded.  Over time it seemed to have a reverse effect, increasing Tom's power.  Examples of this happened all the time, starting with the disarming spell and stunner.  Tom couldn't use a wand, as they were damaged or even destroyed by the amount of power he had.  Tom attended the New York Wizarding Academy and instead of the normal six years there, he graduated in three, at the age of fifteen.  It took a long time for the boy to come to grips with the powers he had control over.

Thomas's Mother and Father died when a drunken Muggle driver went well off the road and hit them while they were walking in a park.  The only good thing about it was that Tom was old enough to look after himself when this happened.  And, while intensely saddened and grieving, he never forgot how much his parents had loved him.

Tom developed the ability to 'see' magic.  He could teach it to others and, when learned, one could see how magic connected to the world around them.  To tom and those he taught, magic looked like strands of hair.  An aura surrounded every individual like small fuzz, but when a witch or wizard used a spell, longer strands shot forth and manipulated the world around them.  Tom learned that even Muggles had magical auras, even if they couldn't use them to actually cast spells.

Eighteen months after his parents deaths, Lord Voldemort rose back to power from the almost-dead.  Tom didn't need to be told.  He could feel the pull of the man (if he could still be called that) on the magical weight of the world.  A Day after that, Thomas recalled to service the Order of the Gryphon with his mentor and friend, Amrathon Garadon.


End file.
